 ***PLEASE NOTE: A Blu-ray 3D disc is only compatible with 3D Blu-ray players.*** When Hiccup and Toothless discover an ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace. Storyline: It's been five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and vikings on the island of Berk. While Astrid, Snotlout and the rest of the gang are challenging each other to dragon races (the island's new favorite contact sport), the now inseparable pair journey through the skies, charting unmapped territories and exploring new worlds. When one of their adventures leads to the discovery of a secret ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace. Now, Hiccup and Toothless must unite to stand up for what they believe while recognizing that only together do they have the power to change the future of both men and dragons. Written by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, November 9, 2014 -- DreamWorks Animation SKG may be the Rodney Dangerfield of contemporary domestic animation houses. Try as it might, the studio responsible for such outsized hits as Shrek: The Whole Story and Kung Fu Panda can't ever seem to "get no respect" (to quote the inimitable if grammatically challenged stand up comedian), seemingly consigned to forever reside within Disney-Pixar's formidable shadow. Frankly some of this situation is due to DreamWorks' propensity toward mimicry, with some of their efforts like Antz, Monsters vs. Aliens and Megamind feeling decidedly derivative, albeit almost always resolutely entertaining. Even recent efforts like Mr. Peabody & Sherman have been lambasted for being both too derivative (as in formulaic) and not derivative enough (as in not fully capturing the insouciant flair of Jay Ward's original creation). One undeniable exception to this perhaps unfortunate "rule" has been How to Train Your Dragon, a film which seemed on its face to be yet another retread of sorts, but which turned out to be a surprisingly well rendered (in every sense of that term) entertainment that had unexpected emotional depth and an often rousing story. That original film raked in huge piles of cash at the box office and was also a critical darling of sorts, and so the handwriting was quickly on the wall that a new "franchise" had been born in the afterglow of one of Toothless' fiery eruptions. Wisely DreamWorks and writer-director Dean DeBlois didn't rush things, and the result is a rather well developed sequel that continues to mine Dragon's enjoyable mythology while also adding even more depth to the character of sometimes hapless dragon rider Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel). While How to Train Your Dragon 2 may have another shadow to escape—namely that of its forebearer—it's an overall very effective follow up that continues to provide heart and action in about equal measures. Five years after the events depicted in How to Train Your Dragon, the villagers of Berk have settled into an enjoyable routine with their dragon friends, including the Quidditch-like Dragon Races where a now young adult Hiccup and his friends battle to make "baskets" with some hapless sheep. The gang, including Snotlout (Jonah Hill), Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), twins Tuffnut (T.J. Miller) and Ruffnut (Kristen Wiig), and of course Astrid (America Ferrera) are older but perhaps not significantly wiser, as evidenced by their shenanigans during the opening race sequence. Astrid is still a force to be reckoned with, much to the delight of the Vikings' chief, Stoick (Gerard Butler). Hiccup is having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that Stoick feels it's high time for Hiccup to assume the reins of leadership around the village. Hiccup is much more interested in taking Toothless out on jaunts to explore surrounding areas, treks that often include Hiccup himself "flying" off of the dragon in what looks like a kind of unwitting homage to Iron Man. Astrid joins him one day on an outlying crag, and when they discover a weird looking assemblage of strange ice and rocks, their investigation brings them into near conflict with a dragon trapper named Eret (Kit Harrington). Hiccup and Astrid manage to get themselves—and their dragons—out of the predicament, but not before Eret warns them about a more sinister threat, an evil dragon collector named Drago Bludvist (Djimon Hounsou). Back in the supposed safety of Berk, Hiccup mentions his encounter to Stoick, and when Stoick hears the name Drago, all hell breaks loose, and the village is put on lockdown. Hiccup of course isn't about to be confined, and furthermore he's not so sure Stoick's almost reflexive propensity toward battle is the best way forward. Instead, he's decided that a kind of Neville Chamberlain-esque approach toward Drago might be the way to go, and he sets off with Toothless to find the supposed enemy in an attempt to see if he'll listen to reason. That soon brings Hiccup into contact with another dragon rider named Valka (Cate Blanchett), who turns out to have a somewhat surprising connection to Hiccup. Valka is a dragon protectress, one who has created a kind of Avatar-esque haven for the beasts in the hopes of keeping them safe from hunters like Drago. (Is there a People For the Ethical Treatment of Dragons?) The rest of How to Train Your Dragon 2 consists of the various forces trying to come to terms with Drago's inexorable push forward in the villain's pursuit of global domination, with the help of a dragon army. Both Valka and Drago turn out to have dragon commanders known as Bewilderbeasts (another thing that sounds like it should have come out of a Harry Potter entry), who end up doing battle in the film's explosive climax. While there are certainly formulaic elements to this sequel, what constantly surprises in How to Train Your Dragon 2 is the emotional richness that DeBlois brings to the enterprise. Hiccup is a young man on the cusp of power, albeit a power he's not sure he really wants to assume. His relationships with Stoick and Valka (and to a somewhat lesser extent, Astrid) drive this film into unexpectedly fulsome territory, and a devastating development late in the film may crack even the hardest heart. Once again filled with ravishing imagery (rendered with a newer technology that was unavailable during production of the first film), How to Train Your Dragon 2 is consistently visually alluring while also providing real depth and nuance for its motley crew of characters. Too often sequels are content to simply rehash events and characters from whatever film came before them, but How to Train Your Dragon 2 is the rare follow-up that manages to build upon its progenitor's legacy. Hiccup and Toothless are still flying high, and many fans will probably be hoping that it's not another five years until How to Train Your Dragon 3 arrives at theaters. If we were permitted to give ¼ point scores on Blu-ray.com, I might demote How to Train Your Dragon 2 3D just slightly to a 4.25, for it does have a bit of a formulaic feel in terms of its general structure and those oft derided "character arcs". But that's more than offset by this film's incredibly smart update of its characters and the trials they face, as well as the introduction of a new major character in Valka. Savvily dealing with issues like the realities of adulthood, loyalty and (just for good measure) world peace, How to Train Your Dragon 2 3D is that rare sequel which equals (at least for the most part) its predecessor. Those canine cute dragons are just frosting on the Viking cake. Technical merits are first rate and How to Train Your Dragon 2 3D comes Highly recommended. [CSW] -3.9- A really solid flick! I'd say it is better than the first, which is saying something, because the first was also very good. The only minor flaw is that there are plenty of plot holes. However, the rest of the film was stellar! It has great voice acting, great story, visually stunning, funny, and even a little unpredictability. Both the dragon and human characters are individually interesting and the world they inhabit is imaginatively rendered. It is worth seeing with the family, kids, or even by yourself. [V5.0-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box ?/10. Cast Notes: Jay Baruchel (Hiccup [voice]), Cate Blanchett (Valka [voice]), Gerard Butler (Stoick [voice]), Craig Ferguson (Gobber [voice]), America Ferrera (Astrid [voice]), Jonah Hill (Snotlout [voice]), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Fishlegs [voice]), T.J. Miller (Tuffnut [voice]), Kristen Wiig (Ruffnut [voice]), Djimon Hounsou (Drago [voice]), Kit Harington (Eret [voice]), Kieron Elliott (Hoark the Haggard [voice]), Philip McGrade (Starkard [voice]), Andrew Ableson (Ug [voice]), Gideon Emery (Teeny [voice]). IMDb Rating (12/09/14): 8.1/10 from 114,864 users
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